Iron Man Technologies VS Potts International
by jack2724
Summary: Potts International owns the world markets. Except the technology market- that has been cornered by some small company owned by a secretive reclusive genius. But the CEO of Potts International, Pepper Potts, wants it and she will figure out how to get it.


**Iron Man Technologies VS Potts International**

**Potts International owns the world markets. Except the technology market- that has been cornered by some small company owned by a secretive reclusive genius. But the CEO of Potts International, Pepper Potts, wants it and she will figure out how to get it. **

all rights reserved for marvel. i own nothing. ENJOY

Potts International today was in the top 100 in Forbs' Fortune 500 Companies list. Potts International was stated three generations ago by Virginia Potts' grandfather who was the first CEO of the company; he was followed by his son and he was followed by the current CEO (and first female CEO) Virginia 'Pepper' Potts. Since Pepper had taken over the company when she was twenty-one, after her parents both died in a tragic car accident, the company had blossomed. Potts International had become THE household name. Pepper expanded the company to have a hand in every industry whether bio-medical or consumer technologies, to organic farming products and fashion design. Pepper Potts had a brilliant business mind and always set her eyes on her next goal. And her next goal was a consumer technologies company- this company was the **it **company, they had a solid foothold and had cornered the market in data technologies and _god_ did Pepper Potts want to own that company. So that's what she was going to do.

She had the backing of every board member for the simple reason she had never led them astray. Each and every company decision she made, made her shareholders _billions. _But she hadn't brought this idea of purchase up to her board member, because as confident as she was, she didn't personally understand the company well enough. Pepper refused to ever make a decision or offer without fully understanding the situation and every aspect. So here she sat, listening to her backroom team try to explain a technology company which they clearly didn't understand themselves.

-/-/-

She and her private team were working in one of the private conference rooms attempting to analyze this new company and present their findings to her. In total there were seven of them, three of her private team, three from Potts International's legal department, and herself. They were used to these meetings, they happened every time their CEO set her eye upon a new addition to their empire. So as usual they attempted to profile an entire company and present their findings to her only after three days worth of analysis over pizza and coffee. They had already begun their presentation (which none of them felt comfortable or confident about) and waited for the delivery guy to come with their pizza.

"Stop." She finally said.

"Miss. Potts?" Phil Coulson, the head of her team politely inquired.

"I am getting the distinct feeling we don't grasp the concepts behind this company. Am I correct?" She waited for one of _her _team to answer and as she expected it was Clint Barton.

"Potts, none of us are engineers. This stuff isn't our shtick and frankly, as far as Nat and I can tell- their financial situation is shit run by monkeys. Other then the fact that they've cornered the consumer market in technology and data, we don't get it."

"We aren't even certain there **is **stuff to get." Natasha adds in. The three from legal just watch Pepper and her team; even after so many of these meetings they're still nervous when Pepper's team speaks so bluntly to the CEO.

"To put it simply Miss. Potts, we are blind. Romanov couldn't get anywhere near their facilities, Barton couldn't make head nor tails of business plan and I couldn't understand any of the information that is public about the company. Everything on them is contradictory and their security is excellent. We don't even know how many people work for this company!" Phil finished with as everyone sat quietly around the conference table. No one said anything and the room was starting to feel oppressive when there was a knock at the door and their regular pizza delivery guy came in carrying a half dozen pizzas.

"Six pies for Potts International." The kid stated, completely ignoring the awkwardness in the air. The pizza guy was a young kid in college that interned the past summer in Potts International's limited engineering department. As he walked in to place the pizzas on the credenza against the wall and couldn't resist looking over at the projection screen wondering what Potts International was interested in taking over next. _"Good luck trying to understand Iron Man." _Peter thought.

"What did you say?" Clint turned quickly zeroing in on the pizza kid Peter. Turns out Peter had thought allowed.

"Umm… I said the total is seventy-two bucks even." Peter tried as a cover up.

Natasha, the most beautiful and second most terrifying redhead in the room stood next to Clint and said directly to Peter, "No, you said you wished us luck understanding Iron Man. How'd you know it was IMT we were looking at?"

"Umm…" Peter was nervous, everyone in the room could tell.

"You interned in our engineering department last summer yes?" Phil blandly said which Peter nodded his head to.

"I'm Peter Parker." They just looked at him waiting for an answer to Natasha's question. Peter eventually gave in, "The umm blueprints you have on screen… They're really unique. In certain circles… well in certain circles he's a tech god because all his stuff is so advanced and complicatedly simple, and awesome. So when I saw your screen had wicked looking blueprints- I assumed it had to be Iron Man…?"

"In certain circles? What do you mean?" Pepper spoke from her seat at the end of the table. Peter turned to her scared silent but eventually regained his nervous voice, "Well, Iron Man is, well his stuff… well it's really complicated and super awesome. Anyone into tech has been watching Iron Man for years. I've been following him since I was nine."

"So you would be able to follow and understand his business patterns and such." Pepper stated.

"Me? God no! Umm, sorry. No Miss. Potts, I doubt me or anyone could really understand his blueprints let alone the way he maintains his company. He's a genius- like IQ tested genius- and nerds call him a god."

"You called him a god." Clint snipped in, "Never said I wasn't a nerd myself." Peter sassed back.

"So bottom line, no one can make heads or tails of his stuff, only that it **is **his stuff." Pepper unhappily concluded. Everyone seemed to agree and attempted to busy themselves to keep Pepper's attention away from them.

Phil paid Peter for the pies and gave a generous tip for his slightly helpful insight on the company they were attempting to profile. As Peter went to leave he stopped and said allowed, hoping he wouldn't get in trouble, "If you really wanted to understand Iron Man Technologies, why not go talk to him?"

Everyone rounded on him again, _'crap, should've kept your mouth shut Parker!' _Peter thought, "We did, and he saw our people coming and chose to not let them come anywhere close." Phil said glancing at Natasha. Peter left at that.

The long night proceeded with Pepper's team and the Potts International's legal team trying to understand what made the tech company tick. After nearly ten hours at it, both teams came to the conclusion- they had nothing. This company was too secretive and convoluted to have a clear picture of.

"Miss Potts, I speak for my team when I say, we are uncomfortable with considering this company any further." Phil calmly said around four am as everyone packed up for the night.

"I understand your reasoning Phil, but this Iron Man has cornered the _entire_ data technology market in six months time. Everything we have heard and read- whether reputable or not, agree that IMT _will _be the future. I want Potts International to be part of it, to own it."

Pepper was a strong willed person, her father raised her to take the bull by the horns and refuse to quit until you got what you wanted. Her parents raised her well; she always worked hard and never considered herself entitled to anything. She grew up with money and parents that loved her; she went to the top named schools and was considered one of the best business minds of her time. So when she was told she _couldn't _do something- well dammit that was exactly what she was going to do!

-/-/-

Pepper eventually got home around seven am, the usual time she'd be waking up. She spent the morning working at her kitchen counter drinking tea. She refused to sleep and throw off her schedule. As she worked she kept thinking about that tech company. Everyone agreed it was best to forget about it and she understood why but she refused to give up. She ended up looking the company up online herself and finding it amusing that the company's site looked more like a blog for Iron Man's innovations. The more she wandered through the website and thought, a crazy idea started to form. IMT saw her company coming for his company and refused her "spy" Natasha; would he refuse the CEO too?

Pepper showered, changed into casual clothes (jeans, black heeled boots, and emerald sweater, with a cream pea coat) and was out her door walking through Manhattan to the address the IMT company was suppose to be located at.

She came to stand out-front a large warehouse like building in Lower Manhattan. She entered the lobby, the exterior and interior were diametrically opposed. Where the exterior was old and classic, the interior was sleek and modern- all glass and steel. What appeared to be old warehouse metal walls from outside, turned out to be one way glass window walls that only appeared to be metal from the outside. With all the natural light coming through and the ability to see the street, but not be seen, Pepper was impressed.

She walked in quietly, "Hello?" not hearing any response she continued in through the lobby towards the hall ways, she assumed at least a janitor had to be in the building on a Saturday morning. She heard music and decided to follow the sound. She was surprised that all the doors she came upon were open, but ignored that thought as she followed the music.

Eventually following the sound down two flights of stairs, she stood in front what looked like and underground garage which reminded her a little of her engineering department. She was about to knock on the glass door when it slid open on its own. Her ears were assaulted with blasting music, _'explains why I could hear it in the lobby.' _She was about the yell something when the music cut off and a man came around a bunch of boxes, almost scaring her.

Before she could say anything he yelled, "Hold on a second- I can't hear anything!"

They stood staring at each other for a few minutes waiting for each other to get their hearing back. She looked at him. His hands were covered in grease and dirt, his hair was a mess, and he wore only a battered t-shirt and pair of ripped jeans. He looked young, maybe twenty-three, and has scruffy goatee in need of a trim. He was handsome, especially with those chocolate eyes.

"Ok, that's better, I can hear now, how 'bout you?" He said wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Pardon?" she realized she hadn't paid attention, "Oh right, yes I can hear you. I'm Virginia…"

"I know who you are Miss. Potts. I'm Tony." He said as he made his way over to her to shake her hand. "I've been working for a while and I think it's a reasonable hour to go out to eat. I'm going for food, care to join."

"What?" Pepper was confused why this man-Tony- was in IMT on a Saturday and was asking her to go out to eat.

"I'm hungry and I know you're here to speak about IMT and Potts International. So two birds one stone, let's go."'

"Excuse me but who do you think you are?" She said as he continued to walk past her towards the door.

He turned at the door with a wink, "I am Iron Man."

-/-/-

She ended up walking with him through the warehouse building and out onto the streets looking for food.

"So why do you want my company so badly?" Tony asked once they had sat down and order food at a burger joint.

At some point walking with Tony she realized any chance her company had to buy Iron Man Technologies was solely resting on her and burgers. She wasn't intimidated, in fact she was excited.

"IMT is the future of any and all tech." She stated diplomatically.

He snorted, "Yeah I know."

"I met a groupie of yours; he says Iron Man is a god. And my team-the best of the best- can't figure your stuff out. It's that advanced. With Potts International's resources and financial backing, there is absolutely **no **limit to the technological advances that could be made."

"You seem to be under the impression I do not have the finances for my company." He commented as the waitress placed their burgers in front of them.

"You are a small company which has only been known about for less than a year. Your stocks have soared but you need backing."

"I'm rather self sufficient Miss. Potts, I may just surprise you." He winked slyly and then began to inhale his burger and fries.

After they finished eating they sat each drinking a cup of coffee and chatting, not about business.

Pepper realized as they were walking back to IMT that their conversation had gotten very far away stocks and company selling/buying.

"welp, thanks for joining me for a bite to eat. It was nice." He said as they stood outside the warehouse, "Do you need me to call you a cab or something?"

"No thank you, I'll give my drive a ring. And thank you for agreeing to speak with me on company business. I hope we may continue these dealings."

-/-/-

They met up or spoke at least once a week on the phone. Pepper had notified Phil and his team that she would personally be taking care of this merger/purchase. Phil was uncomfortable with it but trusted her and let it be. Through their meetings and conversations she gained some perspective into how IMT was run and frankly- she was impressed. Such a small company was able to mass produce and corner the **entire **world market. Tony's business was brilliant and complicated in its simplicity; that explained why her team couldn't make heads or tails of it!

Over the weeks they had become rather close, she had opened up about her family and business and how stressful always having the press hound her got. He understood the stress, people nowadays always wanted to know more about the quiet young guy that was revolutionizing technology. Pepper embraced the press and used them to her advantage while Tony seemed to ignore them, knowing that eventually they would leave him be. Pepper had wanted to tell him that was delusional to think- the press would always come back- but she didn't out of kindness.

Pepper realized one night as they walked aimlessly around the city, she enjoyed spending time with him and he didn't look at her like she was either like an intimidating powerful billionaire or like just someone to sleep with. She actually might even like him- which should be a **huge** problem for business, but oh well- she could still be professional about it.

As much as they spoke about anything and everything she never heard him talk about his childhood or before he went to MIT at sixteen. He told her how hard he worked to graduate at twenty one with two masters degrees; he told her about his inventions and accidental explosions. All his stories made her laugh, something she did very rarely.

They had a lot of things of common, which surprised both of them. What started out as a visit to meet the company she wanted to own owner, she ended up making a friend. And how hilarious is that! After her parents died she threw herself into the company, focusing all her energy on it. Everyone she spoke was work, but now she had Tony who really wasn't related too much. But she had the feeling that was something else they had in common- they didn't have time to socialize much, nor did they have an interest in it.

-/-/-

It was nearly a year later and IMT was still the top in tech and Pepper had yet to officially say anything to her board. While still working on getting IMT interested in being merged, Potts International began negotiations to purchase Hammer Industries.

The next time Pepper saw Tony, he politely told her it was the worst decision she and her board ever made. She ignored him until her engineers brought it to her attention that Hammer's guys were just copying others tech.

"How'd you know?" She asked as she walked into his garage in the basement of the warehouse.

"I'm a genius, but about what specifically?" He sat on a grungy couch in the corner facing away from her and didn't turn when she entered.

"Hammer, my boys just got back to me and I had to sever my negotiations rather quickly and rudely."

"Hmm"

"Apparently he is as much a moron as you said, but I wouldn't have to deal with these lesser, stupid tech firms if you finally agreed to negotiate official terms and sell your company to me." Pepper said as she walked over o the couch.

Tony didn't turn to her "I'm not feeling up to see anyone right now Pepper…" He didn't get any further because Pepper had rounded the couch and saw him sitting there with an empty bottle of whiskey on the floor by his foot and another half empty bottle of bourbon in his hands.

"What are you doing?" She said placing her hands on her hips and looking down at him on the couch. She waited until he realized he had to answer her.

His eyes quickly glanced up at her and then back down to the bottle in his hands, "sitting." She stayed quiet waiting for an actual answer.

"I would like to be alone… Please?"

"Now I'm definitely **not** leaving you alone. What's wrong?"

They sat in silence for a while, Tony continued to drink from the bottle and Pepper sat on the couch next to him. She never once checked her phone or watch, but eventually he opened his mouth and with a slight slur, "I'm going to bed."

"You're in IMT, not your house or whatever Tony." He looked up startled.

"You're still here?" He said more to himself as he raised a hand to poke her cheek to check if she was really there. Before he could poke her though, his hand dropped and his head fell back-passed out.

She helped lay him out on the couch and threw a jacket over his arms.

-/-/-

She went home slightly worried about him and determined to find out what happened. She returned to IMT after her meetings at Potts International the next day to find not Tony, but another smaller shaggy hair professor type man in Tony's garage. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The guy looked scared when he turned around to face her "I…I…Umm… I'm Bruce?"

"Bruce I told you, you didn't have to come just because the obituary sa…." Tony said walking into the garage but stopped midstride when he saw Pepper. "Oh, hi." He awkwardly said as he wiped his hands on his jeans.

"Bruce, umm would you mind giving us…"

The shaggy nervous man blinked for a moment, "Oh yeah, sure Tony, I'll umm… I'm going for tea. Be back later…?" And the man left quickly and silently.

Left alone together Pepper didn't know what to say, so she stood there and toed off her Gucci heels. "I umm owe you an explanation and apology yeah?" Tony said awkwardly rubbing his neck.

He made his way over to the couch in hopes that she would follow him.

"So, that was Bruce…. Umm… I left home when I was fourteen- ran away technically. Bruce and I met in a homeless shelter; he ran away too, same age as me and all. Never looked back you know? Then I got word the day before yesterday and it was confirmed in the obituaries- Howard died. He died exactly twelve years after my mom- on her anniversary of all things! What kind of bastard does that you know?" Tony looks over at Pepper and realizes she probably is really confused. "Howard was my father- crappy person. Reason I left, no mom, no reason to stay around for his shit… So to celebrate slash mourn his death I decided to take a page out of his book and get drunk, last night… Poor decision because you came by…. I'm sorry about that, I wanted to be alone. And then Bruce came by this morning to straighten my ass out. And then you came by."

They sat quietly for while, "Have you ever wondered why over a year worth of chasing my company you've gotten absolutely no where? Before I was born Howard started a company- Stark Industries. It was a tech firm and was doing pretty well, then some stuff happened and he was about to lose everything unless he sold it. Your dad bought him out, didn't get much for what the company was worth- he then proceeded to spend all that money on alcohol. So yeah… I'm sorry. Truth is I don't care about this company, just my creations, my inventions, my patens; and I don't know if I sold out if I would lose all those too… And if I did…" Tony looked carefully at Pepper, "I don't want to end up like him." At some point she had grabbed his hand and now they sat holding hands staring a cement wall.

"I don't know any Howard, but I know you and you are a good person." She placed her other hand on his face and forced him to look at her, "I wouldn't take your creations from you, I know what they mean to you, and you- I would never do anything to hurt you. I care too much about you to let you become anything like that." She smiled at him, hoping he understood everything she was trying to tell him.

Without hesitating she leaned in and kissed him.

-/-/-

Tony didn't go to the funeral; as far as he was concerned that part of his life was dead and buried long ago. Instead he officially introduced Dr. Bruce Banner to Pepper Potts, the girl that somehow stole his heart.

Tony officially asked Pepper out on a date and she was genuinely surprised to have him pull up in front of her building in a classic 1962 red Mustang wearing a tuxedo. He took her to the most expensive restraint in Manhattan and followed it up by a walk through Central Park. They ended the night cuddling on her couch.

It was settled in late spring that (almost two years after they had met) Iron Man Technologies would become part of Potts International in which IMT would take over Potts R&D engineering department and Tony- Anthony Stark, engineering child prodigy- would become the department's head, answering directly to Virginia Potts, CEO of Potts International.

Of course somehow Tony managed to drag Bruce along with the promise of an amazing research department. Pepper's team (Phil, Natasha, and Clint) quickly came to like the two new additions to their private little circle; they greatly appreciated the new angles for input on business deals.

An interview asked the CEO of Potts International how she managed to convince the reclusive genius owner of IMT to sell his company to her, she smiled and replied "I didn't, he still owns his creations; we work together- he would never sell and I would never again ask him to." It sounded like a vague, odd answer but to the guy standing off to the side of the stage, he just smiled.

When Pepper walked off stage, he swept her up into his arms and kissed her. "I love you, Miss. Potts" he said between kisses.

"I love you too Mr. Stark."


End file.
